Need a new Non-B. Start all over again?

[chemist]

Ok, I work as a teacher in Thailand on a Non-B visa and this visa will expire on April 30th. This year I chose to leave Thailand for a rather long time during the summer break, and I will return after my current visa expires. (It was not possible to extend my visa before I left Thailand; too early.) So I will need a new visa. No big deal, according to my school before I left.

Now, however, they claim that I will have to "start all over again", that is I´ll need:

- A new visa.

- A new work permit.

- A new temporary teacher license.

- A new TOEIC (is that the right one?) test in Bangkok.

- Etc.

Basically, they are saying that I again have to go through the same bureaucracy as when I was new to teaching in Thailand, and yes, I will have to pay for it all myself.

Does this sound reasonable to you? If the above is true, this means that you have to "start all over again" every time you change jobs in Thailand. All feedback is highly appreciated.

- Chemist

[Mario2008]

You currently have no visa so will need a visa. You say you have a new job, so will need a new work permit with the new employer and as a teacher you will also need a new teaching license waiver. (WP and waiver are connected to the school, new employer new WP and waiver). Sometimes you can get a new extension of stay from immigration without leaving the country when you change a jobs, but you are already out of the country.

The only thing I am not sure about is a new TOEIC test, you could check that one with the teachers council.

Personally I would look for a job where the employer is wiling to pay for the cost of a WP, etc.

[chemist]

Thanks for the reply, Mario!

No, I will continue with the same job. The only thing going on is that I need a new Non-B visa because I have been out of Thailand for too long. I will return to Thailand after my visa has expired (April 30th), and it was not possible to get an extension before I left.

- Chemist

[chemist]

Ok, let´s clarify:

- I have now worked at my school for two years and it is time to extend my Non-B because of this. It´s also time to extend my teacher´s license.

- My visa expires on April 30th, and I will get back to Thailand after this date. It is thus not possible to extend my visa, and I have to get a new one instead.

- My school now tells me that, since I need a new visa, I also need a new work permit, a new temporary teacher´s license and a new TOEIC English test, etc. It will be like "starting all over again", like I have never worked in Thailand before.

(- I have to pay for all of the above myself.)

Does the above sound reasonable to you? To me it doesn´t. Why not just get a new visa and be done? (That it was only a matter of getting a new visa is what the school told me before I left Thailand.) Thank you in advance.

- Chemist

[Mario2008]

It does not sound reasonable to me. The Work Permit is still valid, so is the waiver etc. You would in my opinion only need a new non-B visa. But it depends on the expiry date of the WP. if that also expires on the 30th, you would also need a new WP. The waiver would remain valid, till its date of expiry.

You could check with the local labour office to confirm that the WP is still valid.

[chemist]

Thanks again! That is what I wanted to hear.

Cheers

Chemist

[attrayant]

Sounds like a similar situation that teachers on a ten month contract are in. I've often wondered what they do - do they have to start fresh every year with all new documents since their existing ones expire two months before the start of the new term?